


Bad Moon Rising

by Bootsncatz (bootsncatz)



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, One Shot, Wayhaught - Freeform, Werewolf, but like B movie werewolves, werewolf nicole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 06:58:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12525636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bootsncatz/pseuds/Bootsncatz
Summary: Nicole thought getting bit by a perp wasn't a huge deal. Little did she know it would turn her into a thing of nightmares. Nicole is a B-movie werewolf. One Shot. Despite the description, there is fluff.





	Bad Moon Rising

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween! The best holiday of the year. I wanted to write something a little spooky for the season and I love me some movie monsters. Plus I was inspired by [ScaryKrystal's amazing artwork here](https://twitter.com/ScaryKrystal/status/915350505261457408) and [this cover by Rasputina.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9KchCouIjI)
> 
> Special shout out to my always awesome theGAYnerd. Go check out her stuff. It's awesome.
> 
> Enjoy!

_“Officer Haught, we have 10-14 on Walnut Street. Please investigate and report back.”_

Nicole set her coffee back in the cup holder and turned on her cruiser before responding into her radio. “10-4, I’m on the way now.”

‘So much for a sleepy night,’ Nicole thought as she took off the break and pulled the cruiser into the street. To be honest, it would still probably be a sleepy night. 10-14 meant a prowler was on the loose which usually just ended up being someone on their way home from Shorty’s a little too intoxicated. All it would take would be a short walk to their house and Nicole’s exciting night of sitting on the highway and texting Waverly about fake cases they had made up could continue.

A smile pulled at her lips at the thought. Tonight she was investigating a double homicide where the main suspect was the family cat who didn’t get fed enough dry food. The last part was Waverly’s idea.

Ever since the business with the widows went down and Balshar had been put back in hell, Purgatory had been oddly quiet. Other than a few coyote attacks here and there (which actually did seem like coyotes this time), there wasn’t much happening. There was always the stray Revenant causing trouble, but most of them had gone into hiding after everything went down. She pulled onto Walnut Street, the usually dark sidewalks lit up from the full moon overhead. She saw some movement on the side of a house and shined her spotlight on it. Two glowing eyes looked back at her and she sighed. Racoon.

She switched off her spotlight and continued down the road until she saw a hunched over figure hobbling down the road. She lifted her car radio to her mouth and depressed the button. “10-97. Seems like a pretty typical 415.”

_“Copy that.”_

Nicole lit her siren up once to warn the man of her presence before parking the cruiser and getting out. “Sir!” she said in her best authoritative voice, “Purgatory SD, are you okay?” She pulled her flashlight from her belt and shined it on him. He turned quickly, snarl on his face and blood down his front. Nicole was taken aback for a moment and he snarled at her like a rabid dog.

She hit the radio on her shoulder. “Possible 902, please stand by.”

_“Standing by.”_

“Sir, are you injured?” she asked, undoing the snap on the leather strip that kept her weapon strapped into her duty belt. He turned quickly to look at her and there was something...unnatural in his eyes. “Sir, please hold your hands in the air. I’m here to help.”

He growled again and Nicole put her hand on her weapon, shifting from foot to foot as he approached. “Sir! Hands in the air!”

He acted like he didn’t hear her, hands remaining out in front of him like long claws. He lunged for her and Nicole dodged him, sending him sprawling into the street. She drew her weapon quickly, holding it out in front of her and crossing her wrists so that the flashlight was above the gun, lighting up the man.

“Sir! On the ground or I’ll be forced to shoot!”

He slowly rose from the ground and the blood was rushing through Nicole’s ears. She finally got a good look at his eyes, bloodshot, pupils thin and inhuman. He wasn’t a Revenant, he was...something else. He was practically drooling, lips pulled back in a sick snarl with blood caked around his lips. His clothes were torn and bloody and he was hunched over like he was too big for them. 

“On the ground!”

He screamed like he was in pain and covered his face with his hands before leaping at her again. This time she was taken off guard and she only had time to get off one shot before he knocked her to the ground, the wind leaving her lungs. Her back hit the concrete and she moved her arm in front of her face to protect herself. He let out what sounded like a howl before he bit down on her forearm. 

Nicole yelled in pain and kicked him off of her, his body falling to the concrete besides her. She stood up quickly, looking down at the man writhing on the ground. Blood was pouring from his stomach where she shot him and she cursed to herself. Depressing the button on her radio.

“10-45C, suspect has been shot. Please respond,” she said quickly before kneeling down and pressing a hand to his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He clawed at her, but his movements were getting weaker as he lost blood.

_“10-4. Backup and paramedics are on the way. Are you injured, Officer Haught?”_

She held her forearm up in front of her where he had bit into flesh. Somehow he had managed to rip through her uniform and broken the skin. The wound wasn’t too deep and definitely wouldn’t be needing stitches.

“Negative,” she said into the radio, “Just a minor bite from the suspect, I’ll be fine.”

_“Copy.”_

The suspect had passed out it seemed just as the blare of the ambulance rounded the corner. Some people had come out of their houses, no doubt at the sound of the gunshot. As the paramedics ran out to them, Nicole stood up and got out of their way. She holstered her weapon and ran a hand, still shaky from the adrenaline, through her hair.

“Goddamn, Waverly’s going to be so mad,” she muttered looking at the wound on her arm.

***

“I can’t believe someone bit you!” Waverly said the next morning as she dressed the bandage on Nicole’s arm.

She shrugged and adjusted herself a little on the kitchen table. She wasn’t sure why Waverly insisted this was the first aid area, but she wasn’t going to complain. “It’s better than being shot. Again.”

Waverly hit her shoulder, “Don’t even joke like that Nicole!”

Nicole smiled and leaned forward to kiss her girlfriend. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” she said against her girlfriend’s lips. 

“Any humor relating to you being hurt is not funny,” Waverly said holding Nicole’s face in her hands. The redhead just nodded and connected their lips again, half wrapped bandage around her arm forgotten as she grasped Waverly's hips and pulled her between her legs. 

“Ugh, give it a rest,” Wynonna said. 

Waverly pulled away, placing one last deliberate kiss on Nicole's lips before looking at her sister who was rummaging through the fridge. “Nicole is injured, Wynonna.”

“Sick, let me see,” she said after taking a long swig directly from the milk carton, “Dolls said some weirdo bit you.”

Nicole nodded and held up her arm where part of the bite was still visible under the half done bandage. “Yeah. Apparently he died last night.”

“You killed a dude!” Wynonna asked with a horrified but impressed look. 

“No, it wasn't the gun shot,” Nicole said with a shake of her head, “It was some kind of fever.” Waverly opened her mouth to speak and Nicole silenced her with a small kiss. “Don't worry. Doctor said I was fine.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes and lifted herself to sit on the table next to Nicole, milk carton still in hand. “Don't think that means you get out of Revenant stalking duty with me tonight.”

“You mean drinking in your truck in the middle of nowhere?” Waverly said with a raise of her eyebrow. 

Nicole and Wynonna smiled at each other before the former looked back at her girlfriend. “Of course not. There's burgers involved too.”

Waverly finished doing up Nicole's bandage and said with an innocent tilt of her head. “Maybe I can tag along.”

“No way, Jose,” Wynonna said taking another swig from the milk, “No girlfriends allowed. Serious business.”

“Heaven forbid I interrupt your bro out time,” Waverly grumbled despite the smile on her face. Nicole kissed Waverly’s forehead and her clenched jaw before patting her hip to tell her to move. Waverly snatched the carton from Wynonna's hand and returned it to the fridge. 

“Alright, Waves, let’s go,” Wynonna said hopping off the table and reaching for her coat, “Need a ride into town, Nic?”

“I'm fine,” Nicole said shrugging her coat back on and following the sisters out the front door. Nicole walked Waverly to Wynonna’s car and opened the door for her. 

“Don’t get into any trouble tonight,” Waverly said pecking Nicole on the lips before doing up her seat belt.

“I’ll try,” Nicole said with a wink before kissing the tip of Waverly’s nose, “Bye, babe.”

“Bye,” Waverly said softly with a wide grin.

Wynonna gagged and turned on the truck, the engine struggling to start. “Guys, come on. It’s too early for all this sugar.”

Nicole shut the door and waved as the sisters pulled away before getting in her car.

***

“So have you guys done it yet?”

Nicole gave Wynonna a blank look, beer can halfway to her face. “Um, Wynonna, you’ve walked in on us naked multiple times.”

Wynonna did a double take in Nicole’s direction and gave her a frown. “Ew, gross, Haught. I meant-...looking back, it was a poor choice of words,” the brunette took a long swig of her beer, finishing it off before crushing the can and throwing it out the window, “I meant, did you guys say it yet.”

“You shouldn’t litter,” Nicole said finishing off her own beer and putting the can in one of their many fast food bags, “And say what?”

“You know,” Wynonna said making some vague hand gestures, “All that...love mushy shit.”

Nicole blinked at her. “Are you asking if we’ve said ‘I love you’?”

“Yes,” Wynonna said reaching across Nicole’s lap and grabbing a beer from the six pack at her feet, “So have you?”

The redhead blushed and shrugged. “I mean...no.”

The sound of the can tab popping echoed through the quiet car before Wynonna spoke again. “You’re both idiots.”

“The timing hasn’t been right-”

“You’ve both already said it!” Wynonna said with another wild gesture that sent beer spilling down her hand, “You’ve said it around each other, to other people, out loud in separate universes! Just not...to each other. Do you see how dumb that is?” 

She handed Nicole the beer and she gladly took it, not minding as Wynonna reached for another. Nicole blushed and took a sip to avoid answering the question for as long as possible. “Listen, every time it’s been in very dramatic situations. Usually one or both of us is about to die and there’s an...epicness to the moment. Now it feels weird to just blurt it to her face without some sort of stake in the balance.”

“It’s Waverly,” Wynonna said grabbing a handful of fries from the bag between them and stuffing them in her mouth, her words mumbled, “ ‘he’s gonna ‘ove it no matta’ wha’.”

Nicole stared off into the distance. They were parked a good mile away from Bobo’s old trailer camp, a few lights and fires still going. Most of the Revenants had scattered, thinking it best if they weren’t easily found. A few of the dumb ones stayed and probably could be easily done in with at this point, but Wynonna liked using stalking their camp as an excuse to just sit and drink with Nicole. Even if she denied it.

“Yeah, I guess,” Nicole said playing with the tab on top of her beer can.

“You know I’m right,” Wynonna said washing down the fries with more beer, “I’m going to say something gross and mushy and blame it on the beer. You ready?”

“So ready.”

“Anything having to do with you, especially you being romantic, Waverly will love,” Wynonna said pointing at Nicole, “You guys have that heart eyes thing down pat. You could be going through garbage and tell her you love her and she would still find a way to say it was the most romantic thing ever.”

Nicole snorted in laughter, alcohol warming her limbs. “You’re right.”

“I usually am.”

Nicole just rolled her eyes.

***

“Waves, I’m going to stay home tonight,” Nicole said into the phone pressed between her cheek and the pillow. She’d been up all night with some kind of fever she couldn’t shake. Her whole body was aching in a way she hadn’t felt since her last growth spurt as a teenager. But worse.

She heard some rustling on the other end of the phone, probably Waverly going to the corner of the BBD offices that she went to when she was trying to be discreet. “Do you want me to ditch work and come take care of you?” she asked softly, “I can bring movies and soup.”

Nicole shook her head and kicked off her blankets. It was too hot. “No, I don’t want you to get sick too. I’m sure I’ll be over it by tomorrow.”

“But, you’re my baby and I want to take care of you,” Waverly said, a pout apparent in her voice.

The redhead couldn’t help but smile despite the pain her entire body was in. “I know, but your my baby too and I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Fine,” Waverly resigned.

“Thank you.” She looked at the still healing bite on her arm from a month ago that seemed to have reopened a little. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

***

Later that night, Nicole was awoken by a horrifying pain all over her body. It felt like her bones were breaking and stretching, reforming. She screamed and tried to reach for her phone, but her hands felt big and clumsy and she just knocked the phone off of the table. She fell to the floor, knees banging in a way that should have been painful. Instead all she could feel was her body...morphing. 

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and it was getting hard to breath. It felt like something was in front of her face, like a mask. She could smell...everything. She smelled Calamity Jane sleeping downstairs and the old Chinese food in her fridge that she told herself she would throw out three days ago. She could smell her own blood running through her veins. She looked down at her hands and saw paws instead. Large with silver fur covering them, patches of red spotting them before she passed out.

***

The next morning, Nicole woke up with a start. She was on her bedroom floor naked and wasn’t sure how she’d ended up there. She had some sort of nightmare...must have been a fever dream...She blinked some of the sleep from her eyes and wondered how she ended up on the floor. Naked. Must have been during her fever. She stretched and took a good look around her room for the first time. Brown eyes blinked rapidly...hoping it was just a trick of the eyes but-

“Fuck.”

Her room was basically destroyed. Deep claw marks scarred the wood on the door, plaster practically ripped from the walls. Her bed was ripped apart, sheets strewn and torn all around the room.

She quickly looked at herself for any sign of a struggle but she was perfectly fine. Not even a single scratch on her. Except-...she looked down at her hands and noticed her nails were a little worse for wear. She licked her lips, mouth dry as she stood up. Her fever had broke and she felt great, honestly. Like she hadn’t been sick at all.

Taking a closer look at the scratches, Nicole couldn’t figure out what had caused them if she’d been sound asleep in the room. Unless-

She shook her head and pushed some hair from her face. Nicole pulled some boxers and a tanktop out of her drawer, throwing them on before opening her door. She expected Calamity Jane to be waiting at the door for breakfast like she usually was, but the cat was nowhere to be found.

“CJ!” she called looking down the hall. She padded down the stairs but still didn’t see her. As she walked into the kitchen she heard an angry cat growl and ducked to look under the couch. CJ was curled up under it, hair raised as soon as she saw Nicole. “What are you doing, girl?” She reached for the cat but her paw slapped at her and claws caught on Nicole’s skin. She brought her hand back with a hiss and stood up, sucking on the cut.

“That’s weird,” she said to herself. She pulled her hand away to look at the cut and noticed her blood was...almost unnaturally dark. “What the hell?” She squeezed her hand to get a little more out and black blood oozed from the tear in her skin. Looking at the bite on her arm, the blood around it was congealed and black like it had freshly opened up. 

Nicole sat down hard on the couch and just looked at the wound. Her mind was going a thousand miles a minute as she ran through the possibilities. It was-...she had seen demons and people being taken back to hell. Would it really be a stretch if-...

She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts. Maybe it was a fluke. Some kind of weird one time thing that she-

She remembered the paws she saw before she passed out last night. 

_”Fuck.”_

***

Nicole had been watching the calendar closely. It was three weeks since the first incident. One week before another full moon. She was still hoping it was a one time thing. Her bite was completely healed, CJ had seemed to forgive her, and she felt fine. 

But once she had hit one week out she started to feel anxious. It was like all of her senses were on high alert. She could hear people coming down the hall far before she could see them, she smelled everything. Literally everything. Which wasn't great when Nedley had his after lunch bathroom break. Other...instincts had been heightened too. 

Nicole couldn't seem to keep her hands off of Waverly. 

Whenever she was around, Nicole couldn't keep her eyes off of her. It was like she was honed in on everything she did. She could smell her from across the room, sandalwood and cinnamon, and could hear even the slightest little sound she made. It was like she needed her constantly. She needed to feel Waverly around her, wrapped around her in every way possible. There had been way too many times in the past week that she pulled Waverly into Nedley’s office and had her way with her. 

Nicole was a mess. 

Then, again, the day before the full moon she felt sick. Like a horrible fever had overtaken her. But this time she was careful. Despite her shaking hands and aching bones. She managed to take off her clothes and fold them neatly. She locked her bedroom door set up her phone on the nightstand to record her through the night. Tonight was the night she would find out what was happening to her. 

***

Nicole woke up the next morning with at least a small memory of what had happened. She felt her whole body change painfully and then she just remembered seeing red. 

Red and anger and panic and just...red. 

She stood up from where she had fallen asleep, curled up on the floor, and grabbed for her phone. It was still recording and she stopped it. For a moment she just stared at the video on her screen, the little play button in the middle of her screen almost taunting her. 

What was the worst that could happen? Worst case she turned into...something. Best case, she just blacked out for a little and went crazy. 

There were deep scratches on her door again and she wondered if Jon at the hardware store would think she was crazy when she went to buy another one. It would be her second door in a month. 

Unable to talk herself out of it, Nicole played the video. She scrolled forward until something interesting happened. She saw herself hunched over on the floor and played it through. As the video played, the color drained from her face and she said under her breath. 

“Fuck. Me.”

***

Nicole watched the video over and over again. It was still hard to believe. She turned into a-

She was a-

...Her first instinct was to call Waverly and tell her but she stopped herself. Waverly would probably freak out. She'd want to tell Dolls, Jeremy and Wynonna which was the last thing she wanted. They'd put her in that cage Lucado and BBD left behind and run experiments on her to try and find a cure. She could practically see  
the look of worry and horror on a Waverly's face. 

Maybe there was a way she could figure it out herself. She wasn't any good with science, but she could find someone else...Rosita was still missing but... 

Nicole ran a hand through her hair and went through her contact list. She hovered over a name she hadn't thought about in a while and wondered if this was a good idea. It felt like the only option if she didn't want Waverly finding out until this was all under control. She pressed the name and put the phone to her ear, her stomach turning with each ring. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Shae. I uh...have a favor to ask you.”

*** 

Nicole sat outside the diner and rubbed the back of her neck. Was this a bad idea? Maybe. Shae seemed dubious when Nicole had told her that she needed to see her, unwilling to give up any real information. Calling your ex wife and telling her you were a werewolf over the phone probably wasn't the best idea. So they agreed to meet at a diner outside of the Purgatory lines. Somewhere she knew Waverly would never accidentally show up at. 

She saw Shae already sitting inside at a booth, looking over the menu. Fingers hooked into the front of her duty belt, Nicole walked away from her cruiser and into the diner. The little bell above the door rang, giving her away. She smiled and nodded at the hostess at the front. “I um, someone's waiting for me,” she said before walking towards Shae’s table. 

“Hey,” she said awkwardly as she walked up to the table. Shae looked up at her and smiled, standing from her seat to offer a hug. Nicole hugged her firmly, just glad to see her again. Although she didn't necessarily miss Shae, it was when they were together that she remembered how much she liked being around her. 

Shae was no Waverly. As far as spending your life with someone. Nicole knew that Waverly was the one for her. The One. That elusive person movies and books always talked about. They had almost literally been to hell together and back. 

They sat down at the booth and Shae wasted no time getting into it. “You were very cryptic on the phone call, you know,” she said as she glanced at the menu. Even if they both knew she wasn't actually reading it. 

“Yeah, well,” Nicole said opening her menu flat on the table, “I figured if I told you over the phone you might not show up.”

“Well, calling your ex wife and saying you need to see them doesn't exactly instill confidence,” Shae said with a raise of her perfectly sculpted eyebrow, “I half expected you to say you were still in love with me or something.”

“No!” Nicole blurted before she could stop herself, “I mean, I'll always love you. In a way. But not um...that way-”

Shae reached across and put her hand on Nicole's hand to stop her. “Don't worry. I know you're head over the heels for Waverly. I was joking.”

Nicole fidgeted with the corner of her menu as soon as Shae pulled her hand back into her lap. She sighed and offered Shae a strained smile. “Sorry, I'm just kinda freaking out about this...thing I need your help with.”

“What kind of help?”

“Medical.”

“Are you okay?” Shae asked, suddenly concerned. 

“Can I get you guys drinks?” the bored looking waitress said walking up to their table. 

“Coffee, please,” Nicole said. She pulled her phone out of her uniform pants as Shae ordered. “I'm fine,” Nicole confirmed after the girl walked away, “I think.”

“You think?”

Nicole licked her lips nervously. “You can't tell anyone. And I need you to hear me out.”

“Okay,” Shae said with the concerned but neutral face only a doctor could pull off. 

“I'm a…” Nicole leaned closer to Shae and looked around, “I think I'm a...werewolf.”

Shae looked at her blankly, nodding her head slowly. “Nic,” she began slowly, “You're joking. Right? This is a huge joke?”

“I wish,” Nicole said, “I don't blame you for not believing me but...if you'd seen the things I've seen.”

Shae shrugged, “Like what?”

Nicole began to roll up her uniform sleeve. “I couldn't even begin to tell you,” she muttered before pointing to the scars on her arm, “A suspect bit me. He later died of a fever no one can explain. And now the entire week before a full moon I start to feel...weird. And when it's a full moon I-”

“You transform into a werewolf?” Shae said a little too loudly, her voice skeptical, “Come on, Nicole, what's this really about.”

“I'm serious,” Nicole hissed. She held up her phone and shook it at her, “I have proof.”

The waitress came by and dropped off their drinks, hip popped out and order pad in hand. “Are you ladies ready to order?”

“The chef salad, please. Dressing on the side,” Shae said easily. 

“Breakfast combo number two. With bacon and eggs over easy please,” Nicole said without even looking at the menu. They handed them back to the waitress. She walked away and Nicole took a long sigh as she opened up the video on her phone. She went to hand it to Shae but pulled it away as she reached for it. “Don't freak out on me, okay?”

Shae just shot Nicole a look, hand out for the phone. Nicole placed it in her hand and sat back against the booth with a sigh. She pulled her coffee cup between her hands, cradling it as she watched Shae scroll through the first part of the video. 

“If this was all one giant excuse to make me watch a video of you naked-”

“Just watch.”

Shae kept slowly scrolling through the video and Nicole saw the exact moment Shae saw the evidence. Her brow furrowed, a hand placed over her mouth as she watched. Nicole took a sip of the hot coffee and let the bitterness run over her tongue until Shae slowly slid her phone back over to her. 

“Believe me?” Nicole asked putting the phone back in her pocket. 

“Have you told Waverly?” Shae asked. Nicole kept her eyes glued to her coffee cup before she looked up and shook her head. “Are you serious? Why not?”

“She's got a lot happening,” Nicole said with a shrug, “We just defeated a cult that it turns out her real dad was apart of, we had to send her niece far far away for safety or else demons would get her, she's dealing with her mom being back in her life and-...honestly I don't want to add something else onto her plate right now.”

“You don't think your girlfriend would want to know you turn into a-...that this happens?” Shae asked. Neither of them notices when the waitress put their food in front of them. 

“I'll tell her after I figure out how to control it,” Nicole insisted, “Which is...why I asked to see you.”

Shae blinked at her. “I'm a doctor. Like a normal human doctor. Not Doctor Frankenstein.”

“But you're a brilliant doctor. And I know you can help.”

The two woman just stared at each other for a moment. Shae broke eye contact and picked up her fork. “When's your next-...when's the next full moon?”

“Two weeks.”

“I'll find somewhere nearby you can stay. We'll do a few things then,” Shae said stabbing her salad. 

Nicole smiled brightly and picked up a piece of bacon, suddenly starving. “Excellent. Thank you. I thought for sure you'd say no.”

Shae smirked at her. “You know I can't say no to a girl in uniform.”

Nicole blushed and raised an eyebrow at her ex wife. “Yeah yeah. Just don't kill me while I'm changed.”

“I'll do my best.”

***

“Baby,” Waverly breathed against Nicole's chest. The redhead groaned as her girlfriend dotted kisses along her chest, entire body thrumming with energy. Waverly nipped at Nicole's collarbone before continuing. “You should call in sick.”

Nicole chuckled and gripped Waverly's hips tightly. It was hard to think with her girlfriend straddling her the way she was. “Waves, I can't,” she said even as she pulled her girlfriend’s core tight against her stomach. 

Waverly rolled her hips with a smirk, core slick on Nicole's stomach. “Just for tonight,” Waverly said licking the corner of Nicole's jaw and nibbling on her ear, hands smoothing along her sides. 

Nicole would call in sick in a heartbeat. If she was actually going to work. She told Waverly she had the red eye patrol tonight, but she was going to meet Shae at a motel outside of town. 

Tonight was a full moon and she knew she only had a few hours before she started to feel really sick again. She had to get over to the motel before she got too weak to drive. But her willpower to leave was getting weaker and weaker with each passing second that her girlfriend was naked on top of her. 

Waverly sucked harshly on the spot behind Nicole’s ear that made her whole body tingle and she sighed, pushing Waverly back by her hips. “Baby, I’m sorry, I can’t,” Nicole said as Waverly pouted at her. Nicole sat up and Waverly draped her arms around her girlfriend’s neck. She planted a soft kiss on the corner of Nicole’s mouth and Nicole ran her hands up the smooth expanse of her back. With a hard kiss on the lips, Nicole turned so that Waverly was beneath her, the younger girl squealing in surprise. “I gotta go,” Nicole said pecking her lips one last time before getting up from the bed.

The sandy haired girl laid on her side, elbow on the mattress and head held up by her hand. “I can go on patrol with you?” Waverly suggested with a hopeful smile.

Nicole gave her a look as she slipped on her Academy sweatpants and sweatshirt. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? First thing,” Nicole said pulling her socks on.

Waverly flopped dramatically back on the bed and Nicole tried really hard not to stare at her girlfriend’s body. Really hard. Thankfully she got under the blankets and pulled them up to her chin. “What about my bonus blanket?”

The redhead leaned down and kissed her lips again before she pulled another blanket up from the end of the bed. “This’ll have to do for now.”

“Fine,” Waverly said wriggling deeper into the pillows, “Be safe. Text me when you get bored.”

“I will, baby,” Nicole said unable to resist giving her one last kiss, “Have fun with Wynonna tonight.”

Waverly nodded as Nicole left, closing the bedroom door behind her. She texted Shae as she jogged down the stairs of the Earp Homestead. She slipped into her shoes that she’d left by the door and put her car keys in her pocket. Shae texted back the address of the motel as she started her car. 

“Here we go,” Nicole sighed, driving towards the highway.

***

When she pulled up to the motel she was already starting to feel sick. She was sweating profusely and her hands were shaking as she got out of the car. Knocking on the motel door, she stuffed both of her hands in the front pocket of her sweatshirt. Shae opened the door and Nicole offered a strained smile.

“I feel like shit,” she practically growled out.

“Hello to you too,” Shae said stepping aside so Nicole could come in, “How long until you...change?” 

Nicole looked at her phone to check the time. “About forty-five minutes,” she said sitting on the edge of the bed. She noticed a cage in the corner about six feet high and wide. The bars looked surprisingly thick and Nicole would ask where she got it but she was a little scared to know.

“Perfect. Let’s get some samples from you before you’re useless,” Shae said with a wider smile than Nicole expected, “I also have something to give you that should make you as tame as a puppy.”

“Hopefully,” Nicole said slipping her sweatshirt off and leaving her in her jog bra, “Alright, Doc, poke and prod me or whatever you’re gonna do.”

“It’s what I do best,” Shae said pulling out a set of syringes.

***

The next morning, Nicole woke up in the cage and blinked as she took in her surroundings. Shae was lounging on the bed with her computer.

“Ah, she awakes,” she said setting the computer to the side and sitting on the edge of the bed, “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Nicole said crossing her arms in front of her naked chest with a blush, “Where’s my um-...”

“On the chair right there,” Shae said pointing at a chair within reach.

Nicole nodded, “Thanks.” She slipped into her clothes before standing up to stretch. “So, did the serum work?”

“Nope,” Shae said, “It worked for about ten minutes but then it wore off and you were growling and running around.”

Nicole sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She held the bars of the cage, leaning her forehead against the cool metal. “I guess we’ll try again next month.”

“Maybe I’ll have something that can help your symptoms before you turn too.”

The redhead rattled the door a little bit and gave Shae a look. “Can you unlock the door, please?”

“If I must.”

***

Waverly had been noticing something odd about Nicole for the past few months. She had been promoted to the point she didn’t need to take the night shifts any more than once every six months, but she was taking them once a month. Once a month she’d disappeared for a whole night. No texts or calls. The next day she was always exhausted, usually sleeping at least half the day.

Needless to say, Waverly was suspicious.

Especially since she had noticed a text buzz on Nicole’s phone one day that said “Shae Pressman”.

Waverly bristled at the name, even though she knew it didn’t mean anything. Their divorce had been finalized six months ago and she knew Nicole would never cheat on her. But it still gave her pause.

She would never be the kind of girlfriend who told Nicole she couldn’t talk to an ex. Especially when she had been as nice as Shae was when Nicole was in the hospital. The thing was, Nicole never really showed an interest in talking to Shae before, so why now? Wouldn’t Nicole have at least mentioned it to her? Then again, maybe it was just a fluke. A one time question. Information for paperwork in some way or another.

Yeah. That seemed likely…

Right?

It didn’t stop Waverly from trying to get Nicole to stay home on the days she had the night shift at work. Any little way she could try to persuade her, but nothing worked.

***

“Wynonna, I need to tell you something,” Nicole sighed, “And I need you to not freak out.”

The brunette paused, half eaten burger hanging from her mouth as she stared at Nicole. The pause only lasted for a second as she continued to eat. “Listen, I killed my sister, my other sister was taken over by a weird goo demon, another demon came back to life because of two widows who took over people's bodies and my mom is apart of some weird cult. What could you possibly say that would freak me out?”

Nicole rubbed the back of her neck and looked out into the darkness, Revenant camp in the distance. She didn't want to tell Wynonna about the whole...werewolf thing. But she could tell Waverly was getting curious. Asking her more questions, trying to get her to stay home on her “night shifts”. And if anyone could help hold her off it was Wynonna. 

“Wy, I'm-”

“Wait!” Wynonna said grabbing her arm, “Are you in love with me?”

Nicole blushed and rolled her eyes, “No-”

“I mean, I get it,” Wynonna said with a teasing smirk, “But obviously Waverly is in the way-”

“Wynonna-”

“And I can't break my baby sister's heart-”

“Wynonna! I'm a werewolf!” Nicole blurted out. Wynonna just stared at her for a moment, unblinking. 

She chugged her beer, eyes not leaving Nicole as she did. When she tipped the last bit of it into her mouth, she crushed the can and dropped it on the floor. “Are you fucking with me?” Wynonna asked with a frown.

Nicole shook her head. “Why would I lie about that?”

“Is this some elaborate kinky thing between you and Waves?”

“No!” the redhead said, “I...remember when that guy bit me? Well apparently he was a werewolf too and now I'm one.”

“What kinda werewolf are we talking here? Full wolf or like...half wolf half person?”

“Full wolf,” Nicole said, feeling a small weight lift off her chest just from talking about it with someone, “Like paws and everything.”

“Damn,” Wynonna breathed out, still staring at Nicole. “Well, there's a bright side here.”

Nicole leaned her head back against the headrest, rolling her head to look at the eldest Earp. “What's that?”

“Waverly always used to bother our mom to get her a puppy. Now she doesn't need one. She must be thrilled.”

Nicole shot her a look but then shrugged, trying to play it off, “She um...doesn't know.”

“That I find even more unbelievable than you being a werewolf,” Wynonna said opening another can of beer, “You love birds tell each other everything. I feel like it might be too much actually.”

Nicole sighed and sadly drained the last of her beer. “I haven't told her. That's why I'm telling you. Every month I have to go-...I have to lock myself away so I don't hurt anyone,” Nicole explained, “And she's getting a little suspicious now so...I need you to keep her away on the next full moon.”

Wynonna searched her face for a moment and Nicole felt fully exposed. She was horrible at lying to Waverly. And all it took was one slip and Waverly would be worried about her, insisting on helping and-

“I can't risk her getting hurt,” she sighed, “I don't want to accidentally hurt her.”

“Do you have...someone helping you? When you go all wolfy?” Wynonna asked, nothing but seriousness in her tone. 

“Shae,” Nicole said softly. 

“Nicole,” the eldest Earp said flatly, “you think Waverly's gonna be chill about you hanging out with your hot ex doctor wife?”

“I would never cheat on her-”

“No, I mean she's gonna be pissed that you let her run experiments on you and not her,” Wynonna said as if it were obvious, “I can keep your secret for now. But not for long. I can't lie to Waverly if she asks.”

“I know. Neither can I.”

They both just sat in silence, watching as someone far away in the Revenant camp lit a fire. Nicole heard a chuckle from Wynonna's side of the car. 

“Did you guys say you loved each other yet?”

Nicole shook her head. 

“Yeah. You better save that for after you tell her about being a fucking werewolf.”

***

Nicole kept checking the time and Waverly was more than suspicious. Was there another level beyond suspicious? She wasn’t sure at the moment, but there should be because that’s what she was. They were watching a movie on the couch alone, a rare feat when Wynonna decided that she would let them have some time to themselves. Nicole was laying on her back with Waverly draped over her, head on her chest.

Waverly had slipped her hand under Nicole’s shirt forever ago, fingers stroking the soft skin of her stomach idly. And there was still no response from Nicole. She just stared at the television in a way that made Waverly think she wasn’t even watching and she kept checking the time on her phone.

“Baby,” Waverly said pushing up Nicole’s shirt and kissing the small scar on her chest left from where Willa shot her, “You’ve been working too many nights.”

The redhead just kissed the top of Waverly’s head, “I know, cutie. But speaking of, I have to go. Okay?” She started to untangle herself from Waverly but the brunette remained put on top of her with a pout. “Waves,” Nicole said giving her a look, “I really have to go. Please don’t make me feel worse than I already do. I’m already going to be late.”

She pecked her pouting lips once before Waverly rolled off of her and let Nicole stand up. Waverly watched as Nicole straightened out her clothes and checked her phone once again, typing out a quick message before slipping it into her pocket. “Are you sure I can’t hang out with you?” Waverly asked with a sigh.

Nicole smiled fondly at her and kissed her forehead, “One night won’t kill you, Waves. We have all day tomorrow to spend together. Okay?”

“Fine,” Waverly grumbled as Nicole straightened up and slipped her boots on, “Be safe.”

“I always am,” Nicole said with a wink before slipping out the front door. Waverly kept watching the movie, even if she was only half paying attention. She had a bad feeling about something. She wasn’t entirely sure what...probably just with Nicole being away for the night.

Wynonna practically lept down the stairs and ran towards the front door. “Waves! Get this, Dolls brought in some sort of water demon. Want to go check it out?”

Waverly was up from the couch in a matter of moments. She would much rather go down to the BBD offices then sit here and miss Nicole. Plus...maybe she’d run into Nicole at the office before she had to go on patrol. “Yeah, let’s go.”

They got in Wynonna’s truck and raced down to the offices in record time. Wynonna rushed past the Sheriff desk and back towards Black Badge without even a second look. Waverly wandered in, trying to act casual as she looked around for any sign of red hair. Larry who was working the front desk didn’t even look up from his paperwork. “She isn’t here,” he said flatly, “You’d think you had a better tracker on her.”

Waverly frowned and wandered over to the front desk, leaning on it and fixing him with a look. “I know exactly where she is, Larry,” she said smartly, “She has the late patrol today.”

Larry pushed out his lips in thought, still looking down at his papers, “Mm, no. I don’t think so.”

Waverly paused for a moment before shaking her head. “Um, yes, she does. She told me,” she said with a humorless chuckle.

“If you say so,” Larry said with a shrug. Waverly stared at him for a moment, chewing the inside of her cheek before closing the file Larry had in front of him so he was forced to look at her.

“Where’s Officer Haught?”

Larry blinked at her. “I. Don’t. Know,” he said pulling the file away from under her hand and opening it back up, “She’s your girlfriend, not mine. I just know she’s not working tonight.”

Waverly huffed, stomach twisting as she practically stomped back towards the Black Badge offices. “Wynonna!” she said throwing the door open. Her sister stood up from her crouched spot behind a large water tank that was taking up the middle of the room, some odd shapes floating around inside it.

“What?” she asked, “Can’t you see I’m checking out a water demon? Come look at it. It’s like a giant evil sea monkey.”

“Wynonna,” Waverly said crossing her arms in front of her chest, “Do you know where Nicole is?”

“Uh oh,” Jeremy said, also popping up from behind the tank, “I’ll be over...here.”

He scuttled away and Dolls poked his head out from around the corner where his desk was. “What’s happening here?”

“Nicole told me she was working tonight, but Larry seems to think she’s not,” Waverly said, her eyes still on Wynonna who was squirming uncomfortably, “And I have a feeling Wynonna here knows what’s going on.”

“Why would you think that,” Wynonna shrugged, leaning on the edge of the tank.

Waverly raised an eyebrow at her. “Because you two are thick as thieves now. Plus, I can tell by your avoidance of the question.”

The creature in the tank swam quickly towards the surface and at Wynonna’s face. The eldest Earp jumped away as it’s head breached the surface but she tried to play it cool. “Don’t you wanna check this out, Waves?”

Waverly was one second away from stomping a foot. She did want to examine the demon. She really really did...dammit. But Nicole was missing and dead for all she knew. Maybe that was a bit extreme...but she was lying to her for a reason. A reason that Wynonna knew. 

“Just tell me where she is, Wynonna!” Waverly insisted.

Wynonna rolled her eyes and scratched the back of her skull. “Okay well...she’s not working tonight.”

“Yeah, I gathered that much.”

“Honestly, you shouldn’t bother with her. Just wait until tomorrow when you see her-”

“Wynonna,” Waverly said dangerously, “Where is she?”

Wynonna rolled her eyes. “Fuck! She’s going to kill me.”

“Wy!”

“She’s at that motel outside of town!” Wynonna said in almost a whine, “But seriously, I can’t tell you why. Or with who-”

“She’s _with_ someone?” Waverly squeaked, “Who?”

Wynonna ducked back behind the tank. “I already told you, I can’t say!”

Waverly’s mind was going a mile a minute as she tried to connect everything in her mind. Nicole lied to her about working tonight...had all the other night shifts been a lie too? Wynonna clearly knew what was going on, so she told Wynonna and not her? If this was something about protecting her again, Waverly might actually kill her girlfriend. Well, not actually. But with words and harsh looks. Waverly walked over behind the tank and held her hand out to Wynonna. “Give me the car keys.”

“You seriously should wait until tomorrow,” Wynonna warned even as she reached into her pocket.

“I’m going now, Wynonna,” Waverly said gesturing for the keys. Wynonna resigned and handed Waverly the keys. “Thanks. Don’t wait up for me.”

As she walked past the tank again, she did a double take, faltering for the briefest of seconds. “Ugh, balls! I really want to look at this thing! Don’t get rid of it before tomorrow!”

“No promises!” Wynonna shouted at her as she walked out of the building and to the car. Waverly started up the car and peeled out of town, headed towards the motel. She thought of the texts she saw that were from Shae and wondered if that’s who Nicole was with. Nicole who told everyone but her what was going on with her apparently. 

“She is so dead,” Waverly said under her breath. By the time she made it to the motel, her mind had imagined all the worst things her brain could cook up. She pulled in right next to Nicole’s car and realized she had no idea which room the redhead was in, thankful there were only two cars in the entire parking lot.

The motel itself was seedy, like something you’d see in a horror movie. A one story building with maybe ten rooms, old neon sign only half lit up on the side of the roads. There was a long stretch of woods behind it and Waverly wondered how many people went missing around here. But before she could think further, she stormed out of the truck, slamming the door behind her and stomping up to the only hotel room with a light on. She knocked heavily on the door and yelled. “Nicole! You are in so much trouble!”

There was some shuffling on the other side of the door and some hushed talking that Waverly couldn’t make out through the wood. She heard chains and locks coming undone on the other side of the door until the door opened, the shocked redhead looking at her.

“Wha-?...h-hey...Waves,” she said awkwardly, eyes looking around behind the brunette. She was sweating, face flushed and looked a little worse for wear honestly.

“What the hell is going on here?” Waverly asked as she peered over Nicole’s shoulder to see Shae pretending like she was engrossed in writing something down from her place on the edge of the bed. “What are you doing? Here? With her?”

Nicole ran a shaky hand through her hair and tugged on the collar of her sweatshirt. “Baby, please, you have to go. I’ll explain everything tomorrow,” Nicole said putting a hand on Waverly’s arm. Waverly pulled away and frowned up at the other woman.

“Are you serious? You think I’m just going to leave?” Waverly said taking a step closer to look in the room. There were some beakers and a briefcase full of vials. Most alarming was a large metal cage in the corner of the room.

“Waverly,” Nicole gritted out like she was in pain, “Please, we’re running out of time-”

Nicole hunched over suddenly, clutching her stomach like she was in pain. Shae was by her side in an instant, before Waverly could even reach out to comfort her. A twinge of jealousy lit in her stomach, but Nicole reaching for her hand extinguished it.

“Please,” Nicole panted, attempting to straighten back up, “Please, get out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Waverly said, concern taking place of her anger. For now anyways. Nicole opened her mouth to speak again but groaned in pain instead, curling into herself as Shae tried to drag her inside.

“Waverly,” Shae said firmly, “You really should leave.”

“No,” Waverly said shaking her head, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Waves-” Nicole was interrupted by another scream of pain and Shae checked the clock on the wall.

“Shit,” she said trying to drag the redhead over to the cage, “Nicole, come on. I need you to help me here. Waverly, if you’re not going to leave, help.”

Waverly stood up and put her hand on Shae’s arm, “Why are you putting her in the cage.”

“I don’t have time to explain,” Shae said dragging Nicole a little closer. Nicole screamed an almost inhuman scream and Waverly’s blood ran cold. She pushed Shae off of her with an almost supernatural strength and Waverly watched as she sat hunched over on the floor, breathing ragged.

“Nicole,” Waverly said softly, dropping to her knees on the dirty carpet and reaching a hand towards her girlfriend.

“Waverly, don’t,” Shae said already fumbling with one of the syringes in her case, “Don’t touch her.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Waverly asked as she ignored Shae and gently touched her shoulder. Nicole’s head immediately shot up to look at Waverly, eyes almost yellow and-...nothing like Nicole at all. Waverly fell back as Nicole growled at her. “What’s happening?”

A sound like breaking bones came from Nicole’s body as she contorted again, howling in pain. Shae tried to come up behind her but Nicole turned on her with amazing reflexes and she jumped back. 

It was like everything was happening in slow motion, yet too fast to stop it anyways. Nicole’s limbs cracked and reformed, becoming dog like, long with short hair. Her body expanded and grew, her clothes ripping from the strain and hair growing almost instantly over her. Then her ears elongated, nose and mouth forming into a snout before-

“What the fuck?” Waverly breathed out as a wolf now stood where Nicole had previously been. It stretched and snarled, yellow eyes on Waverly. “Nicole?”

“Not Nicole,” Shae said slowly approaching her from behind, “Well, not at the moment. She turned.” Shae plunged the syringe into the wolf’s back and it howled in pain, turning around quickly and snapping at Shae.

“What was that?” Waverly asked, turning the wolf’s attention back to herself.

“Sedative mixed with a serum that’s supposed to help her retain some of her human consciousness,” Shae said watching the wolf cautiously, “But...it doesn’t look like it’s working.”

The wolf licked it’s jaws, lips curled to expose it’s jaws as it slowly snuck up on Waverly like it was stalking prey. Shae pulled a gun from her hip and pointed it at the wolf as it approached Waverly. 

“No, don’t!” Waverly said to Shae, “You can’t-”

“You think she’d rather find out she killed you?” Shae asked as she turned off the safety. The wolf’s ears perked at the sound of the click and for a moment, a small moment, Waverly could swear that it’s eyes went back to Nicole’s. The wolf shook it’s head and ran for the open door. “Shit!” Shae said lunging to shut the door, but the wolf slipped out just in time.

“Nicole!” Waverly yelled as she ran out of the motel and looked around. She saw the end of Nicole’s tail disappearing around a corner and towards the woods. Shae ran up behind her, gun still in hand.

“We can’t let her go,” Shae said, “She could really hurt someone.”

“Okay,” Waverly said with a nod, still trying to process, “I...okay. I’ll go after her.”

“We both will,” Shae said firmly.

“No shooting her,” Waverly said seriously, “She’s already been shot too many times.”

Shae just nodded, “I’ll try my best.”

Waverly nodded and they sprinted off towards the woods, splitting up once they got to the edge. Waverly ran, straining to hear anything that sounded remotely like a giant wolf clambering through the forest. She heard a rustling to her right and headed towards it, the full moon overhead illuminating her path.

“Here, Nicole,” Waverly called out half heartedly, “Here, wolfy.”

She heard a growl behind her and turned quickly, Nicole stepping out of the trees with heavy paws. Waverly swallowed thickly, forcing a smile. “G-good dog?” The wolf snarled at her and she felt her heartbeat in her ears. She was still essentially Nicole, she had to believe that...she had to believe that this...creature was still her Nicole. She had seen a hint of it in the hotel. The wolf stepped closer and Waverly matched it, stepping back to keep the same distance between them. 

“Nicole,” Waverly tried again, “It’s me. Waverly-”

Waverly tripped on a tree root that sent her stumbling backwards, landing hard on the ground with a thud. The wolf saw it’s opportunity and lunged, heavy paws landing on Waverly’s chest and knocking the air out of her as her back thudded against the ground. Waverly gasped for air, too scared to move under the wolf’s heavy weight. It wasn’t the same comforting weight of Nicole being on top of her. It was suffocating.

She felt tears of fear sting her eyes as she looked up into yellow eyes, snarling mouth inches from her face. “Nicole,” she gasped out, “Please, I know you’re in there.”

The wolf growled at her, snapping it’s teeth in warning. Waverly tried to flatten herself on the ground as much as possible and thought about everything she’d ever read about wolves. Maybe if she submitted to her. It was a risk but she turned her head so that she wasn’t looking directly into Nicole’s eyes anymore, side of her neck completely exposed. 

“Please,” she whispered, tears falling silently down her cheeks. She remained still for a second, the constant sound of the wolf growling loud in her ear. She could already feel the bruises forming on her chest from where it’s paws rested but that was the least of her worries at the moment. Mostly she was just worried if her girlfriend was going to rip out her throat or not.

After a moment, the growling stopped and she felt the wolf step back, no longer on her chest. She dared to look at her and saw a kindness in her eyes again. “Nicole?” Waverly said softly, lifting herself up to rest on her elbows. The wolf sat back and stared at her, ears perked up in curiosity. Waverly smiled weakly, quickly wiping away her tears. “It is you.”

The wolf cocked it’s head like it was listening to Waverly. She sat up on her knees and watched the wolf growl a little, taking a step back. “I’m not gonna hurt you,” Waverly said gently, “Just like you’re not going to hurt me, right?”

She held her hand out, palm up and Nicole stretched her neck out to sniff her, eyes still on Waverly. She felt the wetness of her snout touch her palm and curled her fingers, the tips of them brushing the underside of Nicole’s chin. The wolf pulled back and looked at her before sprinting off into the woods. Waverly let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, her breathing coming fast with the panic in her chest.

She looked up at the moon as a few clouds moved over it. It would only be a couple of hours until it wasn’t a full moon anymore. Something inside of her told her she’d be fine. That Nicole would be fine. There was no one out here, no one for her to run into for...for miles. And if there was even a shred of Nicole in the creature like Waverly had seen a few minutes ago, she wouldn’t have to worry.

“Waverly!”

The brunette looked over and saw Shae moving through the forest towards her. She waved weakly and stood up, brushing dirt from her pants. “I saw her,” she said looking back towards where Nicole disappeared, “but she was...herself. Mostly. It took a minute but…”

Shae nodded, “Maybe the serum worked,” she said mostly to herself. She put an arm around Waverly’s shoulders and rubbed her arm. “Come on. Let’s go back to the room.”

“I don’t want to leave her,” Waverly said looking over her shoulder again.

“We have-” Shae looked at her watch, “two hours and fifteen-...fourteen minutes until she turns back. I think you have time to sit for a little bit.”

Waverly just nodded weakly and let Shae lead her back to the motel.

***

They didn’t speak much when they got back to the motel. Waverly took a long shower and Shae worked on some formulas in a book. When Waverly walked out, towel wrapped tightly around her body as she smiled awkwardly at her temporary companion, Shae offered a smile back.

“Nicole brought an extra pair of clothes over there,” Shae said, gesturing towards a duffle bag in the corner, “Might be something you can slip on.”

“Thanks,” Waverly said softly as she dug through it. She pulled out some sweatpants and a t-shirt, making sure Shae’s back was turned before slipping into them. Waverly didn’t want to talk...but she had so many questions. “How long?”

Shae looked over her shoulder at Waverly, “Five months now. It was a bite she got from a suspect.”

Waverly remembered the bite and just nodded. Five months. Five months she’d kept this from her. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she squeezed her still damp hair with the towel. Shae had gone back to her notebook and Waverly sat on the bed. Five months Nicole had been dealing with this. Five months without her.

“She didn’t want to scare you,” Shae said as if she could read Waverly’s mind, “You know Nicole. Always trying to be the one to get a handle on things, not liking to rely on other people. It’s a miracle she even called me. She must have been desperate. But I know if she even had a shred of chemistry and biology knowledge she would be doing this on her own.”

Waverly just nodded silently. As much as it pained her to admit someone might know Nicole as well as she did, she knew Shae was right. Nicole was stubborn and confident. Even if some of her cocky confidence had melted away since they'd been together. Her number one priority was to protect Waverly, even if it blinded her into making poor decisions. Like opening DNA results or, apparently, keeping the fact that she was a werewolf a secret. 

“It's nothing about not trusting you or thinking you can't handle it,” Shae said knowingly as she went back to her papers, “All she talks about is how you're the strongest person she knows.”

Waverly blushed and picked at a loose thread in the knee of the sweatpants. “And she still thought I couldn't handle this,” she muttered as the thread came loose. 

“She has a funny way of thinking sometimes,” Shae admitted as silence fell over them again. 

A few hours later, Shae’s alarm went off and Waverly shot up from where she was lounging on the bed. She swung her legs off the bed and slipped into her shoes. 

“I'm going to go get her,” Waverly said already walking towards the door, “hopefully she didn't wander too far.” She picked up another pair of sweatpants Nicole had stuffed into the duffle bag and a sweatshirt she had hung over a chair. Shae nodded, almost like she was deciding if she should join or not. 

“I'll come back with her,” Waverly said, hoping Shae would get the hint to stay. The other woman nodded and settled back into the desk as the brunette slipped out the door. It was still dark outside, the moon just barely covered enough to get rid of its fullness. Waverly wandered in the direction she had seen Nicole run just a few hours before. 

“Nicole!” she called into the woods. She wondered what would happen if Nicole hadn't changed back yet. But she heard a faint noise in the distance and headed in that direction. Through the trees, she saw a flash of red hair and ran towards it. “Nicole!”

The redhead was standing and looking around like she was disoriented. Her hands and arms were trying to cover herself, pale skin practically shining in the low light. “Waves?” she said, her voice hoarse. 

Waverly rushed over to Nicole and threw her arms around her, hugging her tight. Her skin was warm despite the chilly morning air and she pressed her face into her neck. She breathed deep and held onto her like she might disappear. “You’re in so much trouble,” Waverly muttered, feeling a deep chuckle echo in Nicole’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole said kissing the side of Waverly’s head, “I didn’t want to worry you-”

“I can’t believe you told Wynonna and not me,” Waverly muttered, “She’s going to let that go right to her head.”

Waverly felt some tears fall that she didn’t realize were there and pulled away from her girlfriend to wipe them away. Nicole smiled down at her and brushed some hair from her face. “I know, I’m really really sorry,” Nicole said holding Waverly’s face in her hands and pressing their foreheads together, “Really really sorry.”

The brunette sniffled and draped her arms around Nicole’s neck, playing with the short red hairs at the base of her skull. “You better make it up to me,” she whispered.

Nicole kissed Waverly softly, lips pressing together sweetly as the shorter girl melted into her. “Waverly,” Nicole said against her lips, pulling away just enough for Waverly to look in her eyes, “I love you.”

Waverly felt her heart flutter and explode, a smile lighting up her face even brighter than the moon overhead. “I love you too,” she said running her hands through the hair sticking up at the back of Nicole’s head, accentuating every word with a kiss, “Every. Single. Part. Of you.”

Nicole’s smile made Waverly’s stomach flip even more and she briefly thought about how lucky she was. Even if her girlfriend was a werewolf, she was still Nicole. Her Nicole. Her beautiful, loving, protective to a fault girlfriend.

“You know,” Nicole said slipping her hands under Waverly’s shirt and warming them on her lower back, “For the first time last night, I could actually think as myself. I don’t know how to describe it but...I was me. I recognized you.”

“I could see it in your eyes,” Waverly said as Nicole kissed the tip of her nose, “You were very scary at first, you know.”

“Did I hurt you?” Nicole asked, suddenly holding Waverly at arm length and examining her. Her brow furrowed in worry and Waverly just fell back into her arms, peppering her face with kisses.

“Not at all,” Waverly said kissing the underside of her jaw, “You were a very good little wolf.”

Nicole groaned and wrapped her arms around Waverly, “Please, don’t let Wynonna talk to me like a dog. Anymore than she already does anyways.”

“I’ll do my best,” the brunette said with a serious nod before another grin broke over her face. They both knew that could never be prevented.

“Can I get dressed now,” Nicole said with a blush, “It’s...a little chilly.”

Waverly blushed. “Oh, yes, sorry,” she said picking the sweats up that had fallen on the ground at some point. She handed them to her and winked as she took an exaggerated look at her body. “Being a wolf is good for you.”

Nicole rolled her eyes as she slipped into her clothes. “You’re impossible.”

The youngest Earp lifted herself up on her toes to kiss Nicole on the cheek and laced their hands together. “Let’s get back to town. There’s a water demon there I’m dying to take a look at.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yell at me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bootsncatz) or [Tumblr](http://bootz-n-catz.tumblr.com) if you want to tell me how much you hated this and how I ruined everything beautiful in the world for you.


End file.
